Submarine boat.



- PATENTED AUG. 18, 1908 G. BEH'RMANN.

SUBMAEINE BOAT.

7 APPLICATION FILED APR. s. 1908.

2 SHEYETS-SHEET 2.

subject of the E UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORG BEHRMANN,

OF KIEL, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO FRIED. KRUPP AKTIENGESELL- SCHAFT GERMANIAWERFT, OF KIEL', GERMANY.

SUBMARINE BOAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1a, 1908.

Application filed April e, 1908. Serial No. 425,460.

, The present invention relates to the type of submarine boats in which liquid fuel is carried along in reservoirs which communicate with the outside water for the purpose of causing the consumed-fuel to be replaced by water.

The object of the invention is to improve this t pe of submarine boats in such a manner t at the draft and equilibrium ot the boat are entirely independent of how much fuel and how much water the fuel-reservoirs at anytime contain. 1 i

In accordance with the present invention thedesired object is attained by providing the boat with con'ipensatingreservoirs which are arranged independentlyof the fuel reser voirs and have their combined center of gravity'ap roximately coinciding with that of the fue -reservoirs. At the commencement of the operation the compensating reservoirs are full of liquid and when is withdrawn from the fuel-reservoirs the compensating reservoirs are emptied in proportion as the weight of the boat increases. The liquid thus withdrawn from the com ensating reservoirs is conve ed to a place w 1816 it has no effect on the welght of the boat.

. tance from the hull an In the accom anying drawings, Figure 1 shows a vertical ongitudinal section through .one embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a section on line 22, Fig, 1, looking from above; Figs. 3 and 4 are sections on lines 3-3 and 44, Fig. 1, looking from the left;

Fig.6 shows another embodiment of the invention in a sectional view corresponding to Fig. 2, and Fig. 6 shows a third embodiment .in a view corresponding to Fig. 2.

Reference wi l first be had to the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 4.-

The hull Act the boat is surrounded by an outer wall B which is s aced a suitable diswhich is of a sha e that insures stabilit and swiftness of t e 'b'oat both when it oats on the water level and when it is submerged. On the top of the hull A and in the middle of the boat is arranged a conning tower A which projects through the outer wall B;

When the boat travels while submerged the propeller-shaft C may be driven by an electromotor D which receives its current from a suitable accumulator-battery (not shown) and when the boat travels on the water level the propeller-shaft is driven by an explosion-engine E which has its shaft connected to the ropeller-shaft by means of a releasable coup ing 0 By means of transverse partitions b the space between the walls A and B is divided into a plurality of separate com )artments, F and G, which connnunicate with the outer compartments. The compartments F serve for holding liquid fuel. From the upper )art of the inner space of each reservoir F cad two pipes 'h (see especially Fig. 3) which pass through the hull A to pipe-conduits ll which extend longitudinally of the boat and connect with pumps J. The umps may be driven by electromotors and, through the medium of short pipe-conduits the pum )s are connected with two. fuel-res ervoirs from which the fuel required for operating the explosion-engine E can be directly taken.

Within the reservoir G and on the outer surface'of the hull A are arranged reservoirs M (see especially Fig. 4) which are adapted tocontain water. Through the medium of apipe-conduit N the inner space of the resmay be driven by an electromotor P and which communicates with the outside water through the medium of a pipe-conduit N. Besides having the openings 5 the reservoirs G have openings b on their top whereby the reservoirs are partl or com letely filled with water according to ow much the boat is submerged. v The hull A, the tower A and the reservoirs M have walls of such thickness that they are capable of withstanding the pressureof the outside water at the greatest depth to which the boat is submerged. The outer wall B of the boat is less thick because the pressure outside of and within the reservoirs E and G can be e ualized through the openings b? and b In t e drawings the dif-. ference in thickness of the walls is indicated by lines of different thickness. The reservoirs M are arranged, in such a manner that their combined center of gravity app'roxlwater through the medium of openings b located near the lowermost places. of the ervoirs M connect with a pump Q which of gravity of the reservoirs F. The relative dimensions and. workin capacity of the pumping devices P Qan KJ are preferably selected in such a manner that, when the two devices are operated simultaneously, the pumpQ removes from the reservoirs M an amount of water the wei ht of which is-e ual to the difference in weig t between the uel drawn oil by the pumps J and the amount of outside water entering the fuel reservoirs.

Inthe following description of the mode of operation it will be assumed that the fuel reservoirs F and L are completely filled with a liquid fuel, which has a smaller specific gravity than sea-water, and that the reservoirs are com letely filled with water. To operate the exp osion-engine E fuel is taken from the reservoirs L. When it becomes necessary to re-fill the reservoirs L the pumping devices J K-are caused to draw fuel from the reservoirs F through the pipe-conduits h H to the reservoirs L.. Asthe fuel is be-v than that of the fuel the inflow of water would result in an undesirable increase in the weight of the boat, thereby changing the draft of the .boat. 'To preventthis action from taking place the pumping device's P Q are put in operation simultaneously with the pumping devicesJ K. The 'pum ing devices.

Q draw from the reservoirs ll an amount of water correspondin to the increase in weight of the boat and orces the water overboard through the pipe-conduit N. When the increase in weight'has been entire] compensated for the filling relations in t e reservoirs F and M are, for instance, as indicated diagrammatically in Figs. 3 and 4 in which the liquid fuel is indicated by close section-lines and the water by wider sectionlines.

If the compensating reservoirs M were arranged. at any place on the boat the partial emptying of the compensating reservoirs.

would cause a disturbance of the e uilibrium of the boat. I As afore-stated t 'is avoided by the arrangement of the reser voirs M in such a manner that their combined center of gravity coincides with the comb1ed center of gravity of the fuel-reservoirs In order to avoid a disturbance of the equilibrium by'the withdrawal of fuel from from the embodiment showninFigs. 1 to 4 in the separate reservoirs F the fuel is drawn out simultaneously-from all the reservoirs F. The embodiment shown in Fig. 5-differs having fourcompensating reservoirs M instead ,of only two, the combined centerof gravity of the compensating reservoirs also in this instance approrn'mately coinciding with the combined center of gravity of the reservoirs F. Furthermore this embodiment also differs from the first embodiment in having the compensating reservoirs M filled with fuel instead of with water. The withdrawal of fuel from the reservoirs F and the drawing off of the fuel servin as compensating liquid, from the reservoirs is also in'this instance effected by pumping devices J K and P Q; however there is the difference that the conduit N leads to the explosion-engine as to provide for immediate,consumption of the fuel drawn off from the reservoirs M.

The embodiment shown in Fi 6 differs from the other embodiments in haw/in the fuel-reservoirs arranged in two groups P and, F for each of which two compensating reser-, voirs M and M are provided. The arrangement is selected in such a manner that the ing reservoirs M and M approximate y coin-' cides with the combined center of gravity of the corres onding group of fuel-reservoirs F- and F, The arran ement of the pumping devices J K and P is the same as in the other embodiments with the exception that the and ing reservoirs are bifurcated to form branchconduits H H and N N 2 to correspond to the grou wise arrangement of the reservoirs. The ranch-conduits may be closed .by means of cocks k h and n a. By openin all the cocks the operator can draw off uel and compensating water simultaneously from both grou s of reservoirs and by openmg only the cooks 3 n? or theco'cks h n he can draw ofi' fuel and Water from one of the groups only.; The groupwise withdrawal of 1" uel cannot cause a disturbance of the draft and. equilibrium of the boat when the weightcompensation made necessary by the entrance of outside water into the fuel-reservoirs is effected by simultaneous withdrawal of liquid from the compensating reservoirs M and M of the appurtenant group.

More than two groups of fuel-reservoirs and comlpensating reservoirs may be pro-' Ripe-conduits leading from the pumps J to the fuel-reservoirs and compensatthey comply with the requirements that the combined center of gravity of the com ensating reservoirs approximately coincir c with the combined center of gravity of the fuelreservoirs and that the fuel is simultaneously withdrawn from all the fuel-reservoirs of one group. Finally as many groups of reservoirs might be provided as there are fuel-reservoirs. In such case each fuel reservoir would have to be provided with at least one 'compensating reservoir having its center of gravity approximately coinciding ,with the center of gravity of the fuel-reservoir, the

compensating reservoir preferably being ar-' ranged within the fuel reservoir. If the voirs are arranged available space permits it the compensating reservoirs might be arranged in the interior of the boat instead of on the exterior thereof. In order to gain space the two pumping devices J K and I Q would preferably be confined into a single pumping device in such a manner that one part of the pump in a certain time conveys a certain amount of fuel while-the other art of thepumpin the same time draws off rom thecompensating reser-' voirs as much liquid as is necessary for the weight-compensation. Y

' In the submarine boat according to the present invention the compensating reserentirely independently of the fuel-reservoirs as contradistinct from a known weight-compensating device in which the compensating reservoirs at the same time serve as dis 'ensing reservoirs for the entire supply of uel carried along on the boat.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired tobe secured by Letters Patent is 1. In a submarine boat, a fuel reservoir, means roviding communication between the fuel reservoir and the water exterior thereto to cause the Water to enter the reser- .voir as fuel is being withdrawn therefrom, and means for compensating for the increase in weight caused by the water entering the fuel reservoir, said means comprising a reservoir arran ed independently'of the fuel reservoir, and adapted to contain-a li uid, and mm said last-named reservoir as the weight of the boat increases.

2. In a submarine boat, a plurality of fuel reservoirs, means providing communication between said reservoirs and the water extef rior thereto to cause the water toenter the reservoirs as fuel isbeing withdrawn therefrom, and means for com ensating for the increase in weight caused hy the water enteringthe fuel reservoirs; said means comprising a tam liquid and arranged independently of said fuel reservoirs, and means for withdrawing liquid from said last-named reserplurality of reservoirs adapted to conently of i the fuel reservoirs,

voirs as the weight of the boat increases; said compensating reservoirs having their combined center of gravity a proximately coinciding with the combined center of gravity of the fuel reservoirs.

3. In a submarine boat,.a plurality of fuel reservoirs arranged in groups, means-providing communication between said reservoirs and the water exterior thereto to cause the 'water to enter the reservoirs as fuel is being withdrawn therefrom, and means for compensating for the increase in weight causedy the water entering the fuel reservoirs, said means comprising a reservoir for each group adapted to'contain-li uid and arranged independently of. the foe reservoirs, and means for withdrawing li uid from said lastnamed reservoir as the weight of the boat increases; thecompensating reservoir of each group having its center of gravity approximately coinciding with the combined'ccnter of gravity of the fuel reservoirs of the same group.

4. reservoirs arranged in groups,

means for 1- In submarine boat, a plurality of fuel,

multaneously withdrawing fuel from all the reservoirs of the same group, means providing communication between said reservoirs and the water exterior thereto to cause the water to enter the reservoirs fuel isbeing withdrawn therefrom, and means for compensating forthe increase in weight caused by the water entering thefuel reservoirs, said means comprising a reservoir for each group adapted to contain liquid and'arranged independ and means for withdrawing liquid from said last-named reservoir as the weight of the boat increases; the compensating reservoir of each group having its center of gravity ap roximately coinciding with the combined center 'of gravity of the fuel reservoirs of the same group.

The foregoing specification signed at Kiel, Germany, this 9th day of March, 1908.

GEORG BEHRMANN. 

